Superintendent their institutions, professional work and competence development, challenges and communities of practice in a Global Setting A Superintendent Symposium

Author(s):

Olof JohanssonTim GoddardDavid GurrLejf MoosChristopher DayJukka AlvaMika RiskoAllan WalkerJan Merok PaulsenElisabet NihlforsLars BjorkPaul V. BredesonRc SaravanabhavanPaul BegleyRonit Bogler

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

26. Educational Leadership

Format:

Symposium

Session Information

26 SES 07, Superintendent Their Institutions, Professional Work and Competence Development, Challenges and Communities of Practice in a Global Setting

Symposium

Time:

2009-09-29

15:30-17:00

Room:

NIG, Seminarraum, 6. Floor

Chair:

Olof Johansson

Contribution

Introduction In the canon of educational research literature, and in public policy, much attention has been paid to teacher professional development since the A Nation at Risk report in 1983. More recently, the need for on-going principal professional development (Sparks, 2002) and the influence principals have on student achievement has been acknowledged (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004, ). While the significant role superintendents play as district staff developers (Dufour, 2000) and their influence on student achievement (Waters & Marzano, 2006) has been recognized, relatively little attention has been paid to superintendents’ needs for on-going professional learning (Glass, & Franceschini, 2007). In this symposium we report findings on superintendent from empirical investigation of superintendents in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Hong Kong/China, Israel, Norway, Sweden and the United States. In this symposium we particularly attempted to identify ways in which the superintendent institutions, their professional work and competence development, work challenges and communities of practice can be understood, analyzed and described. The cross-national nature of the symposium will provided useful setting for examining the role and the term school superintendents in a Global setting. The empirical data from our studies will permit us to look across these national settings for common themes as well as highlighting important professional, social, and developmental experiences in nine country settings. The Research Questions for the symposium The findings of our study will be utilized to address the following question in the symposium: What are the primary ways in which superintendents describes their institutions superintendent institutions, their professional work and competence development, work challenges and communities of practice in a global setting.

Method

We employed both quantitative and qualitative methods in all countries to address our research questions. To this end, structured questionnaires and structured in-depth interviews combined with analysis of policy documents.

Expected Outcomes

The findings of this study compare the different countries and shed light on the impact of the crucial role superintendents play in both modeling their own professional learning and supporting the professional learning of principals and other administrators in their districts. The findings resonate with Dufour’s assertion that superintendents as leaders are learners as well as staff developers (2000). As Dufour notes, “The best leaders develop and strengthen those with whom they work. They build competence, capacity and confidence in others. In short, superintendents who hope to function as leaders must embrace their role as staff developers” (2000, final section. para.7). In the final section of the paper, we explore the implications for superintendents as learners and staff developers. Lastly, we discuss how school boards can use policies and evaluation processes to recognize the importance of superintendent learning, and to reward capacity building in their organizations.

References

Author. (1996). Superintendents’ roles in curriculum development and instructional leadership: Instructional visionaries, collaborators, supporters, and delegators. Journal of School Leadership, 6(3), 243-264 Authors. (2004, April). A comparative study of superintendents in Sweden and the United States: Responses to Educational Reform Initiatives. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA. Authors. (2007). Responding to the education reform agenda: A study of school superintendents. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 15(5), 1-24. Authors. (2007, October). Context-Responsive Leadership: A Study of Superintendent Leadership in Action. Paper presented at the University Council for Education Administration Convention, Washington, D.C. Authors. (2008, March). Leadership in Context: How Superintendents Understand, Take Action and Shape the Context of Their Work. Paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting, New York, NY. Authors. (forthcoming). Context Matters: Lessons learned from successful superintendents about preparation, practice, and professional development. Cooper, B.; Fusarelli, L., & Carella, V. (2000). Career Crisis in the Superintendency? Arlington, Virginia: American Association of School Administrators. Dufour, R. (2000, September). The Superintendent as Staff Developer. The School Administrator. Retrieved July, 23, 2008 from www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=4121. Fuhrman, S. (2003). Redesigning accountability systems in education. CPRE Policy Briefs. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Glass, T.E., Bjork, L., & Brunner, C. (2000). The study of the American School Superintendency: A look at the superintendent of education in the new millennium. Arlington, VA: American Association of School Administrators Glass, T.E., & Franceschini, L.A. (2007). The State of the American School Superintendency: A Mid-Decade Study. Lanham, Maryland: AASA. Goetz, M.E., & Massell, D. (2005). Holding high hopes: How high schools respond to state accountability policies. CPRE Policy Briefs. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Kowalski, T. & Bjork, L. (2005). Role expectations of district superintendents: Implications for deregulating and licensing. Journal of Thought, 40(2), 73-96. Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., and Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How Leadership Influences Student Learning. New York, NY: Wallace Foundation. Orr, M.T. (2002). Wanted: Aspiring superintendents unprepared for an impossible job— findings on leadership challenges and preparation needs of new superintendents. Paper presented at the Annual American Educational Research Association Meeting, New Orleans, LA. Orr, M.T. (2006). Learning the Superintendency: socialization, Negotiation, and Determination. Teachers College Record. 108(7), 1362-1403. Petersen, G. J., & Barnett, B. G. (2005). The superintendent as instructional leader: Current practice, future conceptualizations and implications for preparation. In Lars G. Björk & Theodore J. Kowalski(Eds.). School District Superintendents: Role Expectations, Professional Preparation, Development and Licensing. (pp. 107-136). Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin Press. Sparks (2002). Designing Powerful Professional Development for Teachers and Principals. [Electronic version] Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. London: Sage. Waters, T., & Marzano, R. (2006). School District Leadership that Works: The Effect of Superintendent Leadership on Student Achievement. Retrieved on July 20, 2008 from www.mcrel.org/product/244.

Author Information

Olof Johansson

Umeå university, Sweden

Political Science

Umeå

186

Tim Goddard

University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown

David Gurr

University of Melbourne

Lejf Moos

DPU-AU

Copenhagen Nv

Christopher Day

University of Nottingham

School of Education

Nottingham

Jukka Alva

University of Jyväskylä

Mika Risko

University of Jyväskylä

Allan Walker

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Educational Administration and policy

Shatin

Jan Merok Paulsen

Högskolan in Hedmark

Elisabet Nihlfors

Uppsala University

Lars Bjork

University of Kentucky

Educational Leadership Studies

Lexington

220

Paul V. Bredeson

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis

Madison

220

Rc Saravanabhavan

Howard University

Educational administration & Policy

Washington

220

Paul Begley

Penn State University

Ronit Bogler

Open University of Israel,

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